Big Finish does an excellent job with their audio plays. Make no mistake… they are NOT audio-books, with a well-known actor reading the material – the Big Finish audio plays are full-fledged plays complete with music, sound effects, and honest-to-goodness acting. The quality of the individual stories varies, but it’s usually in the three to five out of five range.

The Church and the Crown was a surprise – because I loved it! I got it as part of my subscription package (back when I could afford a monthly subscription package) but when I listened I was floored. Big Finish have created a farce, a complete farce, and I mean that in the best possible way. This story was laugh out loud funny. Peri, it seems, is a dead ringer for Queen Anne of 17th Century France. So, yes, the story involves all the escapades of a French farce – doubles, secret identities, horse-drawn carriage chases (which work surprisingly well in the audio format). Nicola Bryant and Peter Davison are brilliantly deft at the comedy, and it makes you wonder what might have been if Peter had done one more season of Doctor Who at the BBC. This audio also features Caroline Morris as (ancient) Egyptian Princess, Erimem, a companion created specifically for the audios. I always quite liked Erimem.

I highly, highly recommend this audio. If you haven’t listened to any of the Big Finish Audios, and you like Doctor Who it’s an excellent place to start. If you’re a fan of audio books and plays and you haven’t tried the Big Finish lines (they have several) I highly recommend their work.